This Gallery has a
few of the photos I took in Newport News at our 1171 Class Reunion.As you will see, I've
included a couple of pictures of the Lorain County LST 1177 andthe Wood County LST
1178 as they were, Oct. 2000, deteriorating and anchored in theJames River Reserve
Fleet.

It was really great
going aboard these two vessels and walking on the decks that we workedso many years ago.
We heard and saw the ghosts of our past. It was quite sad to see
the shapethat these "Large
Slow Targets" have been allowed to deteriorate to. Of course, no
oneis out there keeping
them clean and polished, and many parts have been stripped off.Both ships have since
been scrapped as the effort to save the Lorain fell through.We are saddened, and
can only hope that we will be able to save another T fromperhaps the 1156 class.
All 1171 class T's have now been destroyed.

On
a more cheerful note, here are pictures from the reunion.

This
is the group who stayed at the Omni HotelWe
are all vets of the 1171 and 1173 - and one from the 1175

We're on the bridge of
the 1177, with the boom and cargo hatch of
the 1178 behind us.

Here's Tom Winnie looking
up between the ships,and Don Nachle checking
the aft section of the 1177.These two vets are both
plank owners of the 1171.

Word is that the 1178 in
the backgroundhas been scrapped.
The Army keepers ofthe James River Reserve
Fleet told us it hadbeen scheduled.

Would this site be complete
without a picof one of our old favorite
watering holes?

It's the last one standing,
and not for long!With the modernization
of Little Creek,the bulldozer cometh!

Let's mosey to the Cozy!

What's
it like on the Lorain County at the Reserve Fleet?Take
a look!

Inside the Bridge of the Lorain. A few items are missing, as I recall!

Looking forward from the bridge of the LorainCounty, The Wood is on the left, and the next rowis in the background.

Looking aft from the top of the truck rampon the Lorain.

Dave Kittle and Gary McKnight, both of the 1171,ponder swim call in the bow doors!A bit chilly today, men!

Charlie Patton and companyhanging the Ohio War Memorial flags on the gangplank.

Here's
a couple shots of other Gators on the tug going out.

The
formation of the 1171 Class Association.We
began our group at the Best Western and crowded intothe
hall for this shot - taken by Jerry Martin's wife.

The
tour that was planned for Saturday on the Amphib Base in Little Creek,
andthe
tour of Norfolk Naval Base was canceled due to the USS Cole terrorist bombing.Don
Nachle, Gary McKnight, and I (l to r) took in the Air Show at Langley AF
Base.We
had a great day there, the acts were spectacular, the company fabulous!